Page 231 of Red Marked

“I’m not ready, Jett.” I try not to sound like I’m panicking. “Not yet.”

“Come on, babe. You liked the pancakes, didn’t you? We’re in love, dammit.” His hand spreads over the small of my back. “You want to see your folks. Don’t you want to see your folks?”

There it is. Out loud. My mother, my father, my brother, and this is the price.

I’ve never hated anything the way I hate this male.

He drops his head to kiss me, and his hips move, rubbing himself against me. He makes a groaning noise.

“Get off.” I shove at his chest. He doesn’t budge. “No. Don’t, Jett.”

If he puts his tongue in my mouth, I’m going to be sick all over him.

“We’re going to be mated soon, Star.” His voice has gone rough. “I want you.”

“No. That’s not happening. I don’t want you, Jett. No!” I shove at him.

He’s too damned strong. I never used brute force in the jungle. The trick was not to let them get anywhere close.

“We are going to get mated.” His arms tighten. “We’re together. We’re a couple, and couples have sex. So we’re having sex. I’m going to make you feel good, and you’re going to remember that you love me.”

He starts to rub his erection on me again.

Jett can go straight to hell.

I knee him in the balls as hard as I can.

There is a thud, and he folds. The air goes out of him in a whoosh, and he doubles over with both hands between his legs.

His eyes are wide.

I consider shifting, but he will do the same. He’ll feel less pain in his scales than his skin.

I have a plan. I hope it works.

If not, I will fight him to the death. He isn’t touching me.

I run down the hall and don’t look back. The kitchen is at the end, full of sun, and the knife block is right there on the island next to my purse.

I hear him behind me. He’s slower than he should be, and he’s making these grunting noises.

I get my hand around a handle and pull. The blade comes free as he hits me from behind.

We crash into the counter. His hand clamps around my wrist. I twist, and the knife catches him. I feel it go in and drag, and he yells, and there’s blood down his forearm, a lot of it.

I stab at him and get his arm again.

Dammit!

I try to stab him in the belly, but he grabs me and bends my wrist back until something grinds.

I scream, and the knife drops, and he has it before it hits the floor.

I’m about to shift when Flint steps into the frame of the sliding door.

I freeze.

Jett sees him the same second I do. He yanks me around by the hair, my back slams into his chest, and the blade is at my throat.